The new Billy Wilder Theater — named for the director whose films inspired the musicals Sunset Boulevard, Sugar and Promises, Promises — will be open to the public in December.

A Dec. 3 invitation-only event is planned to debut the space by the two parties who will fill the 295-seat space with programming: UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hammer Museum. The venue — a $7.5-million project (supported with a $5-million endowment from widow Audrey Wilder) was designed by Los Angeles architect Michael Maltzan. The Wilder will be located on the museum's grounds at the courtyard level.

The UCLA Archive will present "an eclectic mix of more than 400 films and videos a year that include the best of classic and contemporary American and international cinema" while the Hammer Museum will also use the space for "Hammer Readings, featuring acclaimed contemporary writers; Hammer Conversations, a series of provocative dialogues on culture, science, and the arts; and Hammer Forum, timely discussions on current social and political issues."

For more information about the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum, visit hammer.ucla.edu.